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5 Tips to Make Pinterest Work in Healthcare Marketing

Pinterest has achieved massive growth since its birth in 2009. It also has practically caught up with Twitter, with 15 percent and 16 percent of adult U.S. Internet users on each network, respectively. While the network mainly caters to women, it is also gaining significant popularity with businesses.

Think it won’t work for healthcare? Think again. Many businesses wrongly believe that Twitter, Facebook and YouTube serve all of their social media needs and leave out Pinterest. And while Pinterest requires just a little bit more creativity than the other platforms, it has vast potential for everything from plastic surgery centers to Lasik surgery clinics! Check out these tips to learn how to make this visual platform work for your healthcare organization.

1. Be Upbeat!

Pinterest serves as an inspiration board. It is described as an “upbeat social media site where the users are encouraged to credit their sources, avoid self-promotion, report objectionable content, and are simply nice to one another.” However, don’t make the mistake and stereotype this platform as a “women only” site. It has the opportunity to build a community to both genders and all ages. Keep your pins lighthearted and informational; people don’t visit Pinterest for negative headlines or downer videos.

2. Showcase Your Brand’s Products & Services

There are plenty of DIY boards on Pinterest, so use this as an opportunity to show the practicality and benefit of your brand. For example if you are a dentist, show a before and after picture of a client that just had a teeth whitening procedure. Not only do they show the effectiveness of your product, but they also make it much more believable.

3. Pin What You Already Have

If you have a YouTube or Vimeo page, remember that Pinterest has the capability to play and link to videos. Also, if your brand has published content (eBooks, medical journals, etc.), use images from the front cover or inside pages and link to a landing page where users can download the item. Also, use the description section of the pin to describe the benefits of the offer.

4. Create a Community

Allow other users the opportunity to pin for you! This comes after you have already gained a significant following, but it’s a good practice to show former patients or leaders in your healthcare community that you value their ideas on Pinterest and trust them to share with your personal viewers. Who knows, they may even tweet about it!

5. Create a Conversation

Even though Pinterest is a visual platform, pin to make a conversation and draw interest. Don’t play it (entirely) safe! Like all social media websites, the ultimate goal is to draw traffic and potential patients to your website. Link most (but not all) pins back to your website so the conversation can continue deeper on a discussion board, blog, “Ask A Doctor” page or “Leave a Comment” section, etc. (you get the idea).

Pinterest CAN work for your healthcare practice, just think of your community and do some exploring.

Not sure where to start? Type in your SEO keywords in the Pinterest search box and see what people are already pinning and what boards they have created. This is a sure way to get the creative juices flowing.